House passes six-month spending bill to push budget past election

posted at 11:21 am on September 14, 2012 by Ed Morrissey

If you’re spoiling for a budget fight during the presidential election, you’re out of luck. The House quietly passed a six-month extension to the current year’s spending, taking the budget battle into next year, with a new Congress and perhaps a new President left to deal with it. The vote was overwhelmingly bipartisan, and included support from Republican VP nominee Paul Ryan:

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a six-month stopgap government funding bill on a 329 to 91 vote, putting aside the partisan warfare of the past 18 months in bipartisan resolve to avoid a budget showdown ahead of the November election.

The Senate is expected to pass the same measure late next week, providing funding for agencies for the first six months of the fiscal year and avoiding any threat of a government shutdown when the year ends Sept. 30.

The drama with Thursday’s vote came less from the outcome of the vote than from the appearance of Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, who chairs the House Budget Committee and came to the Capitol to cast a vote in favor of the measure.

His vote was intended to send a message to members of the raucous GOP freshman caucus that they should also sign off on a measure that will set a $1.047 trillion funding level for the first half of the year, the same figure enshrined in the deal to raise the nation’s debt ceiling last summer.

If you’re wondering whether this solves the “fiscal cliff,” well, let’s just say that we’re still left with a cliffhanger. On a party-line vote, the House passed a separate measure to demand a plan from Obama on how to avoid the defense cuts of the sequestration, which will go nowhere in the Senate. All of the other fiscal-cliff issues went entirely unaddressed, leaving them until after the November election for resolution by a lame-duck Congress.

Without muss or fuss, Congress just voted overwhelmingly to keep the federal spigot open for six more months. There were no shouting matches, no threats of a government shutdown, no hostage-takings. Even some Tea Party lawmakers approved the $1.047 trillion measure.

Contrast the smooth legislative action with the lunacy of last year’s debt-ceiling debate, when the U.S. came within days of defaulting on its IOUs. Standard & Poor’s downgraded the government’s credit rating. The recovery went into reverse as consumers delayed purchases and businesses hunkered down.

Much as we dislike recalling that madness, it’s worth looking back if only because it now seems so manufactured — or worse, economically reckless. If last summer’s fight was necessary to save the country from fiscal wrack and ruin, why is this fall’s continuing resolution, as the measure is called, not a threat to Western civilization? It even adds another $8 billion to the deficit and exceeds the House Republicans’ budget blueprint by $19 billion.

What about that debt-ceiling fight? Bloomberg says this deal exposes it as just a political machination:

A year ago, Republicans cast the debt-ceiling fight as a principled economic response to unsustainable borrowing and the only way to avoid a Greek-like comeuppance at the hands of the bond market. In offering his budget in March, Representative Paul Ryan, now the party’s vice-presidential nominee, said government debt “continues to rise at a frightening pace, raising fears that a similar crisis may happen here.”

So can we assume that Republicans have now fixed the country’s debt problem? Not at all. In many ways, they did the opposite.

While this criticism is not entirely unfair, it also ignores some realities. The same players are in place this year as last. Would a fight now result in a breakthrough on spending, or would it increase uncertainty as Taxmageddon approaches? Deficit and debt hawks had a better chance at winning a fight in a non-election year, and they still only have influence on one of the three loci of power in Washington; Democrats control the White House and Senate.

This fight will take more than a couple of months to hash out, and punting it into next year at least sets the stage for Congress to rationally address the upcoming fiscal cliff after the election. Is that an optimal solution? Hardly, but it doesn’t appear that there would be any other path to resolving the short-term issues without making the long-term issues even worse.

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Comments

We’ve been delaying the popping of this fiscal bubble for 5 years now, as shown by the $5 trillion increase in the national debt. TARP in 2008, stimulus in 2009, more borrowing, and then earlier this year, more papering over, pushing the collapse to January, 2013. As Obama said in 2006, what a failure in leadership.

“…taking the budget battle into next year, with a new Congress and perhaps a new President left to deal with it.”

Not unless Romney starts punching Obama square in the teeth on his complete failure! Stop sitting down to do puff piece interviews about how great Obama is and start kicking the liberal press and Obama in the balls!!

You wanted the nomination. You got it. You weren’t my first choice by any stretch, but I’ll vote for you. Get off your azz and start doing something!!

I guess I understand the whole optics argument when it comes to the fall election, but it still makes me ill. It seems like the Republican mentality is that they know it’s a battle they will lose due to the media propaganda, so rather than fight, their motto is concede early and often.

But we are expected to beleive that the Republicans will change stripes after the election, because then we can really hold their feet to the fire by, threatening to, um, threatening to, um, ahhh um, we can, ah, um errr derp derp derp um ah.

It is not like the Republicans do not have cronies to reward or anything right? Right?

We can um, hold their feet to the fire by promissing to always vote straight ticket republican no matter how worthless they are.

If anybody thinks the Democrats are going to be willing to pass a Republican budget once Republicans manage to haphazardly fall into possession of both houses of Congress, that person needs a mental health checkup. Democrats don’t like how Republicans make fun of them for not having a budget; they’ll make sure to prevent Republicans from passing a budget by any means necessary.

Congress is so absolutely impotent, useless and broken that it will probably never be fixed, short of open revolution. My daughter would be a better representative than most of them, including the weeper of the house and senator stone-face.

What other choice do they have? Like Obama’s gonna budge at all? Like Harry Reid will pass an actual budget after 3 1/2 years? I don’t like kicking the can down the road, but right now the only hope of doing anything meaningful on spending is to do everything in power to get Mitt Romney elected President and the GOP in control of the Senate(and obviously retain the House). Then we don’t have to worry about cowtowing to Obama and Reid and their sycophants in the media.

The fact is that the House Republicans know that if they take a principled stand now, the MSM will just demagogue the issue: “Grandma won’t get her SS check! Women and children will die in the street! Hungry will starve, millions will die, elevnty!11!, Rich will get richer!” all with the objective of influencing the election. Since low information voters are using the alphabet channel propaganda arm of the democrat party for their news, this would have an effect. As evidenced by the snark in the Bloomberg piece, there is no way the Republicans win that PR battle and the dems get to use the low information voters to win the election and really send us over the cliff. Best to hold off until after the election when the propaganda arm of the DNC really can’t do anything other than inflame the weak-minded.

A lot of posters here probably remember Tom “Concerned” Daschle, but the real master at legislative manipulation to embarrass Republicans and promote his party’s national ends was Senate majority leader George Mitchell (D-ME).

The GOP is badly in need of a George Mitchell. Someone who could frame the current budget and debt ceiling impasse as a failure of Presidential leadership, an impasse that will never be broken under the current leadership, and an impasse that, sadly, must wait for a more effective leader ever to be resolved (hint, hint). Then leave the thing hanging right up to the election!

Why on earth do Republicans always provide their opponents with so much political cover?

Our government is broke, and the FED is making you dollar worthless. I’m having a hard time today thinking of a way for America to survive our fiscal and monetary problems. I hope some state or States begin to assert leadership for their citizens because lawlessness and shortsightedness has taken over DC.

the only hope of doing anything meaningful on spending is to do everything in power to get Mitt Romney elected President and the GOP in control of the Senate(and obviously retain the House).
Doughboy on September 14, 2012 at 11:33 AM

Because we all know that spending was totally under control and kept in check when Bush had Republicans in control of both houses of congress.

If the Republicans had any leadership, this wouldn’t happen. The freshmen can only do so much, without the necessary help from their leadership team, such as it is. McConnell is probably a bigger burden than Boehner because Boehner can’t do much without support from the Senate and McConnell will throw the House under the bus faster than Reid would his Democrats.

They will be rock solid after the vote. Then we have power over them to hold their feet to the fire. I just am lost as to what that power it. Any ideas?

astonerii on September 14, 2012 at 11:43 AM

Do you not remember Harriet Miers?

Do you know why you don’t remember her? Because conservatives rose up, when it was appropriate, and squeezed the disingenuous Bush Administration until it squealed. And thus she was not appointed to the SCOTUS, where you certainly would remember her, and likely not fondly.

Call me Pollyanna, but I think Congress might be banking on getting more Republicans into the Senate, thus upending Harry Reid. With more Republicans, and Mitt Romney as president, something might be done about a real budget at last, because it sure won’t be as long as that wizened old gnome is in charge.

LOL…you jack-a-lopes that think Rombama is actually going to slow or stop the endless debt and spending are fooling yourselves. What we just saw, is the GOP controlled House of Representatives raise the debt ceiling…again.

Romney, like the majority of Congress, is no different than Obama. Ron paul was right once again.

Newt got backstabbed by fellow republicans in that fight. He had no choice but to back down when his own party refused to follow though. If he would have followed though, it likely would have been extremely popular. But having taken it to the brink and then backing down, it demoralized conservatives and empowered progressives. All around a bad thing. I was there watching fervently in those days… Much like I did from reagan onwards.

If the Republicans had any leadership, this wouldn’t happen. The freshmen can only do so much, without the necessary help from their leadership team, such as it is. McConnell is probably a bigger burden than Boehner because Boehner can’t do much without support from the Senate and McConnell will throw the House under the bus faster than Reid would his Democrats.

bflat879 on September 14, 2012 at 11:49 AM

…true!…there is no substance to either McConnell or Boehner…but Boehner is even more show…and no go!

Newt got backstabbed by fellow republicans in that fight. He had no choice but to back down when his own party refused to follow though. If he would have followed though, it likely would have been extremely popular. But having taken it to the brink and then backing down, it demoralized conservatives and empowered progressives. All around a bad thing. I was there watching fervently in those days… Much like I did from reagan onwards.

astonerii on September 14, 2012 at 12:01 PM

oh oh! I haven’t had any booze for days but I must be drunk!…you’re right!

Do you know why you don’t remember her? Because conservatives rose up, when it was appropriate, and squeezed the disingenuous Bush Administration until it squealed. And thus she was not appointed to the SCOTUS, where you certainly would remember her, and likely not fondly.

JohnGalt23 on September 14, 2012 at 11:59 AM

The problem is the she was not worth the effort for Bush. He had the Democrats and the Republicans fighting, and it is not like the Senate Republicans were wanting to put her on the bench to start with. She started with a stench and ended in a wimper.

I remember pushing to stop TARP, something far more important in my opinion. I do not see any results. I remember pushing pretty hard on the budget deal in 2011 after we gave the R’s power, did not get anything at all. I remember MONTHS not just a few days of the R’s fighting me on shamnesty. I also remember Robert’s was supposed to be a rock solid vote for stopping progressive slide in the court. I always did think his smile was the kind you see on people too concerned with what other people think… But I was totally assured of his conservativeness.

Now I am told that Ryan is a total conservative, I do not even see it in his talks, and certainly not his votes. I am told that Romney whois totally proud of Romneycare is going to replace Obamacare with something conservative? LOL right!

Nope, the feet held to the fire starts here, in the pre vote arena. If you cannot get them to give you solid promises that are not easily weasled out of, then you are pretty much guaranteed they will not do what you want once in office.

100% agree. The GOP has to learn that they must be real conservatives. Sorry but I’m not voting for Rombama or Obamaney. They are the same. You can’t out liberal a liberal. I’m voting for an actual individual that has a track record of supporting fiscal responsibility and individual liberty. That would be Gary Johnson.

Nope, the feet held to the fire starts here, in the pre vote arena. If you cannot get them to give you solid promises that are not easily weasled out of, then you are pretty much guaranteed they will not do what you want once in office.

astonerii on September 14, 2012 at 12:15 PM

One more thing I remember. I remember betraying our nation by not pushing back on Bush from 2002 through 2005 because we thought he had enough on his plate fighting the War on Terror. We gave them a little opening and instead of concentrating on the War on Terror they spent their time with No Child Left Behind, Medicare Part D, Pushing for the 0 down loans for homes. It was a mistake. But in reality, we could send 50 million pairs of feet to Washington telling them no, but once they have our vote, they have the power for 2,4 or 6 years and there is not a damned thing we can do about it. Not even 300 million pairs of feet protesting in Washington could do anything to stop congress or the president from doing what it choses to do. We no longer have standing on anything our government does, from ensuring our leaders meet the Constitutional requirements to hold their office, to whether something sold as a penalty, written as a penalty is an unconstitutional mandate or a constitutional tax. John McCain proves this point every 6 years. For 4 years after the vote he is a democrat in all but name, and then he suckers the rubes into seeing him as a conservative in the last 18 months of his term.

The one good result of Obama’s reelection will be the convulsions that destroy the GOP. It cannot and will not survive. There is no way this party can survive the failure to defeat a radical Leftist who is objectively destroying the country. It is a failure too pathetic for defense, too annihilating for redemption. Good riddance, you cowards, you miserable, blind, arrogant elitist weaklings. Enjoy your “rule changes” in oblivion.

Do you know why you don’t remember her? Because conservatives rose up, when it was appropriate, and squeezed the disingenuous Bush Administration until it squealed. And thus she was not appointed to the SCOTUS, where you certainly would remember her, and likely not fondly.

JohnGalt23 on September 14, 2012 at 11:59 AM

And the potential-Myers was worse than the actual-Roberts in what way?

I do hope that they have the opportunity to cut off the foreign aid spigot to Egypt and Libya that is part of what was passed. There is no reason why we should be giving those animals a single penny in aid.

The clock still shows some time left but the scoreboard makes it obvious that the game is over. Even with a roaring economy, growing out of a 16+ trillion dollar debt would be a tall order, we cant even come up with a minor deficit reduction plan let alone a ballanced budget or actual debt reduction. Instead of roaring, our economy will be suffocated with the hundreds of trillions of dollars in unfunded liabilities of Medicare/Medicade/Social Security/pensions. There are only two ways out of the debt hole we have dug, default or hyperinflation. Uncle Ben told us yesterday which way we are going to go.

Ok, me I did want a fight, to get Obama to pass a budget with Harry Reid, but I guess then they would say the economy was fixed.

You will have to vote for republicans in Nov. to send your message, and get spending cuts and a budget cuts.

You will have to vote for Ryan and Romney to save the choices on cuts to the Pentagon, Obama does not need the military anymore he has fixed the conflicts in the world and peace has come, I just heard it on Rush, so it must be so.

If you think the demagoguing in the media was ridiculous over Romney’s statement on appeasement at the embassy, the media had huge plans to blame Republicans for a government shut down if they would not fund Obama’s Unbudget.

I think this means the voters are in charge. Wow, isn’t that exactly what Justice Roberts said a few months ago? When the electorate gives a mandate to one party or the other then these problems will be addressed.

I think Romney will win. He will then lead from the left and talk as if what he is doing is conservative. The media will scream how demonically conservative his progressive policies are, that is what they do. The generic American public will think they are getting conservative government, I would also argue most of the idiots on this website will dream they are getting conservative government even. The economy will pick up a bit due to Romney giving them a boost of confidence. Obama policies will get the credit, as Romney had not done much to that point. Then when the market starts to falter, Romney will reach into his bag of tricks and reward his crony capitalists with a stimuless of his own. Things will continue to get worse as the progressive policies labeled conservative fail as they always do, and conservatism will take a ride over the cliff along with Romney and the Republican party. The Democrats will be “proven” right and given a second chance to put another Obama into office in 2016 and if we still hold either house of the congress after 2014 I would be surprised. We are in what I term a whiplash electorate where the people are not happy and they will be throwing the bums out until they are happy. The beatings will continue until moral improves.

Today most Americans are concerned, not about getting a job, but, being able to stay on welfare for the rest of their lives. Whether it is unemployment insurance payments, disability, social security or some other federal government welfare policy, they want to be sure they are getting it. They are entitled to it!

What people think they are today
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What people really are Today
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What people really will be after more time under socialism (Obama or Romney’s)
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With more time under socialism (Obama’s or Romney’s)
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Any questions?